Toyota Venza 2011

toyota venza 2011: The Toyota Venza has actually sold briskly considering that its intro, and also it's very easy to see why. The crossover's five-seat cabin has the handsome design and also upscale materials that are missing out on from the oft-criticized Camry interior. Its sheet steel is expressive-- daring, even-- in such a way few Toyotas take care of. It's fuel-efficient and also silent, roomy as well as utilitarian. For a car manufacturer that's lately been stuck in an item funk, the Venza readies information.

How good is it really? I drove the auto all week, and spent time in a Subaru Outback and also Honda Accord Crosstour-- both likely competitors. The Venza excels, but its driving experience left me wanting: It's less competent as well as uncomfortable, and that's not a mix that bodes well.

toyota venza 2011

The 2010 Venza has front- or all-wheel drive; either configuration can be had with a four-cylinder or a V-6 engine. I checked a V-6, all-wheel-drive version. Besides obtaining new stereo controls and a USB port for iPods, bit has actually altered because Toyota introduced the Venza as a 2009 model.

Outside & In

Fourteen months and 60,000 sales after it initially hit dealers, the Venza still looks fascinating. The nose may take some getting made use of to-- thanks primarily to its diving headlights and also zebra-striped grille-- however the continuing to be 3 sides look sharp, with squat percentages and short overhangs. The Venza has the kind of ground-hugging stance you do not get even in some sports cars, aided in huge part by the cars and truck's titanic wheel wells. Our test car's 20-inch alloy wheels filled them out, but just barely. Twenties are conventional on the V-6 Venza, while four-cylinder designs get 19-inchers.

Though not as daring as the outside, the cabin does have a couple of design points of its own. The hot dashboard moves into the facility console; both are so linked it's hard to tell where one ends and also the other begins. It's a setup that elbows in a bit on knee room for those staying up front, but the Venza is spacious sufficient you won't miss out on the area a lot.

Materials look excellent generally, with a premium grained appearance on the dashboard and also doors that much exceed the Camry's flatter-looking products. I'm ending up being a stickler for padded surfaces in locations chauffeurs really touch-- like armrests as well as door panels-- and the Venza has a lot of padding where it matters little bit; those door armrests, on the other hand, could make use of extra.

New this year are significantly boosted graphics for the trip computer display atop the dashboard, along with friendlier stereo controls that present tags for your station presets. I only desire the auto's stereo appeared as excellent. Our tester's JBL system provided little clarity at either end of the bass/treble spectrum. The system is optional-- and also possibly worth avoiding, considereding as the base stereo has steering-wheel controls and a USB/iPod port.

Seats & Cargo

Both rows of seats supply great headroom and legroom, though our test auto really did not have an optional panoramic moonroof, which rips off regarding an inch of clearance in advance. Taller drivers might want the pole positions moved a bit further back; I'm 5-foot-11, and also I had the seat almost all the back. A power driver's seat is basic, as is a tilt/telescoping steering wheel. One editor located the wheel's change variety also minimal.

The Venza's base fabric seats are encouraging over lengthy trips, as well as other small benefits-- backseat analysis lights as well as AIR CONDITIONING vents, one-touch down and up operation on all four power home windows-- will certainly excite your guests. Such precisions are normally scheduled for even more premium nameplates. With the back seats in position, cargo area totals 34.4 cubic feet. The seats fold down via hassle-free cargo-area levers for an optimum of 70.1 cubic feet of cargo volume. Relative to the Venza's wagon as well as crossover competition, both numbers go over.

Going & Stopping

The Venza's optional 3.5-liter V-6 is a Toyota mainstay, seeing task in everything from the Camry to the RAV4. With 268 horse power at hand, it pulls highly from a stop and also proceeds right as much as freeway speeds, with a muscular exhaust growl under hard velocity.

Alas, Toyota's current six-speed transmissions aren't known for their responsiveness, and the Venza's complies with the pack. It upshifts efficiently, and also its short reduced proportions imply the Venza nails the entire go part of fortitude. The length of time the outfit takes, however, could prove discouraging. Opt for the passing lane, and the automated takes as well lengthy to kick down to a reduced equipment; at lower speeds, other editors and also I discovered tips of accelerator lag, too.

A lot more irritating are the brakes. Four-wheel antilock discs are basic, yet the pedal feels mushy as well as does not return much quiting power till an inch or so down. Then it bites suddenly, making it challenging to stop efficiently. Bad.

A 182-hp, 2.7-liter four-cylinder is conventional. Our test car had the V-6, however I drove a 2011 Sienna minivan with the 2.7-liter four-cylinder last December. It's a capable engine, mustering up great pizzazz off the line and only coming up short on power when handing down the freeway. Taking into consideration the four-cylinder Sienna's additional weight-- 330 to 515 extra pounds extra, depending on which four-cylinder Venza you compare it with-- I doubt the base Venza really feels gutless. (If you have actually test-driven it and also discovered otherwise, nevertheless, fire me an email.).

With front-wheel drive and the four-cylinder engine, the Venza obtains a respectable 24 mpg in the EPA's consolidated city/highway scores; the V-6 is rated at 22 mpg. All-wheel drive knocks both figures down 1 mpg. Below's exactly how the numbers compare.

With the four-cylinder engine, the Venza can tow as much as 2,500 pounds. The V-6 enhances the rating to 3,500 pounds, which is affordable with similarly valued crossovers.

Trip & Handling

After driving the Crosstour as well as Wilderness in back-to-back loops, the Venza left other editors and also I scratching our heads: Its ride and dealing with attributes are at odds with each other, as well as not in a great way. I cannot choose whether the 20-inch wheels-- whose 50-series tires actually should cushion points even more-- or the strong suspension should have more blame, however whatever it is, flight comfort is closer to an economy car than a midsize crossover. Potholes and also other bumps container the cabin outright. On the interstate, you feel spots of grooved sidewalk-- as well as you learn to avoid them.

This could be more acceptable if the Venza were fun to drive, however apart from straight-line acceleration, it isn't really. Steering is well-assisted at reduced speeds, making driving in parking lots and city intersections easy. At greater speeds, though, it's as sloppy as a Camry, with little road comments and also the type of turn-in accuracy you might get with a watercraft rudder. Highway interchanges and curved roadways cause lots of body roll, and also if you take an edge as well fast the tires are quick to surrender their grasp. Venza shoppers may not want a practiced vehicle driver's auto-- and this one certain isn't really-- yet the trouble is that the Venza won't award them on the trip convenience side of points, either.

Toyota does develop silent cars and trucks, and this is no exception. On smooth roads, the Venza's cabin is free of wind and also engine noise. The 20-inch wheels begin to create some noise at highway rates. The 19s may alter that-- and ride convenience, too-- yet Senior Editor David Thomas drove both setups in 2015, and he didn't report any type of massive differences.

Security, Features & Rates

In accident examinations by the Insurance coverage Institute for Freeway Safety, the Venza gained the leading overall rating, Great, for frontal, side and rear impacts. Since publication, the Venza hadn't gone through the IIHS' roof-strength examination, which prevents it from being eligible for the organization's list of Top Security Picks. (To certify, it would require a Good total rating in the roofing system examination.) Typical functions consist of the usual front, front-seat side-impact and also two-row side curtain airbags, along with anti-skid brakes and a digital security system.

In the year it's gotten on the market, the Venza has scratched excellent general integrity marks. Consumer News reliability surveys fix V-6 versions as Typical in general integrity, with four-cylinder designs racking up Well Above Typical.

With front-wheel drive and also the four-cylinder, the Venza starts at $26,275. It's relatively fully equipped, with basic remote entry and also one-touch power windows, a transmission, 19-inch wheels, dual-zone automatic environment control, a power vehicle driver's seat and a USB/iPod-compatible stereo.

Four-wheel drive costs one more $1,450, with the V-6 and also 20-inch edges running $1,825. Other alternatives consist of a back-up cam, a navigation system, warmed leather seats, a power guest seat and a panoramic moonroof. Check all packages, and also an all-wheel-drive V-6 Venza runs regarding $38,500.

Venza in the Market

With the most recent round of accelerator-related remembers making front web pages and also homepages worldwide, Toyota's online reputation for quality has absolutely experienced. Independent of such context-- if it's feasible to assume like that-- the Venza holds some appeal. It has the meaningful design and creative inside that so many Toyotas do not have, yet it's still peaceful, practical and also fuel-efficient. Those recognize Toyota staminas, as well as if you can get past the driving problems, there could be enough need to consider it.